A national non-profit that works with publishers to donate books for kids is setting up shop in Saint John

A Kennebecasis Valley High School student helps prepare for the pop-up bookshop in Saint John, which opened Tuesday. (Brian Chisholm/CBC News)

High school students from Quispamsis have been busy transforming an empty room at Saint John’s Nick Nicolle Community Centre into the province’s inaugural First Book Canada pop-up shop.

Kennebecasis Valley High School students unpacked, sorted and stacked pallets of books that will be distributed at no charge to youth across the province as part of an effort to reduce barriers to reading.

During the two-day pop-up bookshop, which runs Tuesday and Wednesday, about 200 representatives from New Brunswick schools, businesses and organizations will stop in to choose through thousands of English books for youth ages 18 and under.

Dr. Erin Schryer, executive director of Elementary Literacy, a New Brunswick reading-based program, said the representatives will then distribute the books to children in need.

“We know that children learn to read by reading,” Schryer told CBC News.

“They need to practice their skills, and one of the biggest things and barriers to that is access to books. Many of us may not think that’s a reality, but it is.”

For senior student Haley Northrup, who grew up surrounded by books, the morning’s labour was well worth it.

“It makes me really sad to know not a lot of kids in our community get to grow up with books, so I love that these are going to people in need,” Northrup said.

“It’s been really awesome for us to come together and work together as a group. It’s fun to do this for the betterment of our community.”

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First Book Canada believes a child’s education is their way out of poverty. We work with educators and partners to identify and remove the barriers to learning and resources, creating equal access to quality education and transforming the lives of kids in need.